Benedictine College Prep won the VISAA D1 championship defeating city rival Trinity Episcopal by a final score of 31-14. The Cadets won their 4th State championship under Greg Lilly and won their 1st title since 2019. Benedictine also had an undefeated season in 2021.
The Cadets were seeking revenge after the Titans ended their season the previous two years. They also lost the regular season contest and trailed 7-0 after Trinity Episcopal scored on their opening posession.
However, Benedictine would tie the game on their first play from scrimmage. Senior running back and VMI commit Leo Boehling took a backwards pass and threw deep to senior Riley Roarty for a 65-yard tochdown. Benedictine scored again on their next possesion. The Cadets drove 86 yards in 15 plays with senior quarterback Cody Shelton scoring from 1-yard out. The drive consumed 6:46 off the clock and the Cadets maintained a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Both defenses tightened up after the halftime break until late in the 3rd quarter. A 30-yard run by senior James Woodward setup a goal line dive over the top by quarterback Taegan Logan with 2:36 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Benedictine used another long, time consuming (six minutes) drive to regain the lead. They completed only one pass (4-yards) with the remining yards coming via a physical running attack. Boehling scored on a pitch from 1-yard with 9:25 remaining in the game.
A Trinity Episcopal fumble a few minutes later led to a 37-yard field goal by Cole Draucker that gave Benedictine a 24-14 cusion. A turnover on downs resulted in a 18 yard touchdown run by junior Ryker Cook with 3:38 left.
Trinity Episcopal, who were playing to win their 3rd straight State championship, made it to the Benedictine 6-yard line but they were stopped on downs with 12 seconds to go.
Boehling was my Offensive MVP and he finished with both a passing and rushing touchdown. I had him for 23 carries for 92 yards. On defense, senior Tim Semisch set the tone in the 1st half with his consistent pressure in the Titans backfield. Sophomore Jejuan Hutchins also had a stella afternoon with a sack and fumble recovery.
The Cadets were seeking revenge after the Titans ended their season the previous two years. They also lost the regular season contest and trailed 7-0 after Trinity Episcopal scored on their opening posession.
However, Benedictine would tie the game on their first play from scrimmage. Senior running back and VMI commit Leo Boehling took a backwards pass and threw deep to senior Riley Roarty for a 65-yard tochdown. Benedictine scored again on their next possesion. The Cadets drove 86 yards in 15 plays with senior quarterback Cody Shelton scoring from 1-yard out. The drive consumed 6:46 off the clock and the Cadets maintained a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Both defenses tightened up after the halftime break until late in the 3rd quarter. A 30-yard run by senior James Woodward setup a goal line dive over the top by quarterback Taegan Logan with 2:36 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Benedictine used another long, time consuming (six minutes) drive to regain the lead. They completed only one pass (4-yards) with the remining yards coming via a physical running attack. Boehling scored on a pitch from 1-yard with 9:25 remaining in the game.
A Trinity Episcopal fumble a few minutes later led to a 37-yard field goal by Cole Draucker that gave Benedictine a 24-14 cusion. A turnover on downs resulted in a 18 yard touchdown run by junior Ryker Cook with 3:38 left.
Trinity Episcopal, who were playing to win their 3rd straight State championship, made it to the Benedictine 6-yard line but they were stopped on downs with 12 seconds to go.
Boehling was my Offensive MVP and he finished with both a passing and rushing touchdown. I had him for 23 carries for 92 yards. On defense, senior Tim Semisch set the tone in the 1st half with his consistent pressure in the Titans backfield. Sophomore Jejuan Hutchins also had a stella afternoon with a sack and fumble recovery.
